Denomination switch energizes First Presbyterian

Split from Presbyterian Church USA could take months to finalize

First Presbyterian’s annual Kirkin’ O’ the Tartans service will take place on Oct. 20 this year and is always a favorite event for the congregation.

BARBARA PHARR PHOTO

By AMY MCCRAWTimes-News Correspondent

Published: Saturday, July 27, 2013 at 9:39 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, July 27, 2013 at 9:39 a.m.

A recent vote to change its denominational affiliation will bring about a new name for Hendersonville’s First Presbyterian Church, but it will not change the church’s focus, Pastor Bill Campbell said recently.

“We’ve been saying all along when it comes to our local church, there is not that much change. The only real change is a lot of excitement,” he said. “We are seeing a lot of growth. The church is stronger now than before the vote.”

The church voted in June to change its affiliation from Presbyterian Church USA to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. The vote passed with 81 percent of members in favor of the move to the more conservative denomination. Attendance increased 15 percent in the weeks after the June vote, church leaders reported.

Campbell credited the overwhelming vote in favor of change to the increasing dissatisfaction of many members with the direction of Presbyterian USA in recent years.

The denomination, he said, has moved away from viewing Christ as the way to salvation and has taken positions on issues that are not supported by scripture. He called the denomination’s decision to approve non-celibate gay clergy only one symptom of the problems with Presbyterian USA.

“These are things that are being trampled on,” he said. “A whole denomination is losing its biblical footing. We do want to follow the long held tradition of scripture.”

Campbell said the Evangelical Presbyterian denomination is a good fit for his congregation. The change to the new denomination has not led to any differences in the way First Presbyterian operates, he said.

“They are good at not being caught up on side issues and focusing on the main thing the church is supposed to be doing,” Campbell said.

Decision leads to division

The church’s decision to leave Presbyterian USA was not a unanimous vote, and a few dozen members left First Presbyterian after the decision was made.

Calling themselves “continuing members of First Presbyterian Church,” they are now meeting at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Hendersonville, which is part of the Presbyterian USA denomination. The continuing members meet on Sunday afternoons after Trinity holds its services.

“We have the space available and are happy to offer it to the folks from First Presbyterian,” said Dwight Christenbury, an associate pastor at Trinity.

Christenbury said Trinity will continue to make its church available to the members who left First Presbyterian while the church’s dismissal from the denomination is in progress.

He said the group may eventually join Trinity or form its own church.

“At this point, it’s all so fresh,” he said. “It may well happen at some point that these folks may choose to join Trinity. We don’t want to be pushy and try to push them. We want these folks to feel at home in whatever church situation they ultimately decide to follow.”

Christenbury said he does not believe his church will consider leaving the PC USA denomination as First Presbyterian did, despite the range of opinions held by both conservative and more liberal members.

“Within our denomination, there are all sorts of viewpoints. Our congregation reflects that diversity,” he said. “I don’t have any major issues with the direction of Presbyterian USA. We also don’t believe the church is infallible. We recognize the church is made up of human beings.”

First Presbyterian’s dismissal from PC USA will probably take a few months to finalize and will not likely be settled until October, Campbell said.

The church will negotiate a financial settlement with the regional governing body, the Presbytery of Western North Carolina, to receive clear title to the church property, which tax appraisals value at $4.2 million. The national average for such settlements with congregations the size of First Presbyterian has been less than $100,000 paid over five years, according to a news release from the church.

The change in denominational affiliation will also require a name change once negotiations are complete. Campbell said the church has considered some names but has not settled on one.

Bert Sigmon, the stated clerk of the Presbytery of Western North Carolina, said negotiations with First Presbyterian may take some time and that “very pivotal issues need to be resolved.” He declined to comment on those issues.

But Sigmon said church property is held in trust for the denomination. When a church leaves the denomination, the distribution of the property must be negotiated with the Presbytery.

Both negotiating teams are represented by legal counsel. An appraiser is selected by the Presbytery in consultation with the congregation, according to information posted on the church’s website.

“After reviewing all forms of our property and our financial books, the two sides will develop a separation settlement which must first be approved by our congregation and then later be approved in a Presbytery meeting,” according to the website.

Campbell and Sigmon both said they hope the negotiations go smoothly.

The group of people who left First Presbyterian will not likely make any decisions on their future with the PC USA denomination until after negotiations with First Presbyterian are complete, Sigmon said.

“After the process has run its course, they will be in a better position to make decisions for themselves,” he said.

While he said the Presbytery is never happy about losing churches and friends to other denominations, Sigmon said he is pleased that Western North Carolina has not seen as many churches leaving PC USA as other areas have in recent years.

“We’ve been very fortunate in one sense,” he said. “We’ve not had a lot of this, not as many as, for example, Charlotte.”

<p>A recent vote to change its denominational affiliation will bring about a new name for Hendersonville's First Presbyterian Church, but it will not change the church's focus, Pastor Bill Campbell said recently.</p><p>“We've been saying all along when it comes to our local church, there is not that much change. The only real change is a lot of excitement,” he said. “We are seeing a lot of growth. The church is stronger now than before the vote.”</p><p>The church voted in June to change its affiliation from Presbyterian Church USA to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. The vote passed with 81 percent of members in favor of the move to the more conservative denomination. Attendance increased 15 percent in the weeks after the June vote, church leaders reported.</p><p>Campbell credited the overwhelming vote in favor of change to the increasing dissatisfaction of many members with the direction of Presbyterian USA in recent years.</p><p>The denomination, he said, has moved away from viewing Christ as the way to salvation and has taken positions on issues that are not supported by scripture. He called the denomination's decision to approve non-celibate gay clergy only one symptom of the problems with Presbyterian USA.</p><p>“These are things that are being trampled on,” he said. “A whole denomination is losing its biblical footing. We do want to follow the long held tradition of scripture.”</p><p>Campbell said the Evangelical Presbyterian denomination is a good fit for his congregation. The change to the new denomination has not led to any differences in the way First Presbyterian operates, he said.</p><p>“They are good at not being caught up on side issues and focusing on the main thing the church is supposed to be doing,” Campbell said. </p><p>Decision leads to division </p><p>The church's decision to leave Presbyterian USA was not a unanimous vote, and a few dozen members left First Presbyterian after the decision was made.</p><p>Calling themselves “continuing members of First Presbyterian Church,” they are now meeting at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Hendersonville, which is part of the Presbyterian USA denomination. The continuing members meet on Sunday afternoons after Trinity holds its services.</p><p>“We have the space available and are happy to offer it to the folks from First Presbyterian,” said Dwight Christenbury, an associate pastor at Trinity.</p><p>Christenbury said Trinity will continue to make its church available to the members who left First Presbyterian while the church's dismissal from the denomination is in progress.</p><p>He said the group may eventually join Trinity or form its own church.</p><p>“At this point, it's all so fresh,” he said. “It may well happen at some point that these folks may choose to join Trinity. We don't want to be pushy and try to push them. We want these folks to feel at home in whatever church situation they ultimately decide to follow.”</p><p>Christenbury said he does not believe his church will consider leaving the PC USA denomination as First Presbyterian did, despite the range of opinions held by both conservative and more liberal members.</p><p>“Within our denomination, there are all sorts of viewpoints. Our congregation reflects that diversity,” he said. “I don't have any major issues with the direction of Presbyterian USA. We also don't believe the church is infallible. We recognize the church is made up of human beings.”</p><p>First Presbyterian's dismissal from PC USA will probably take a few months to finalize and will not likely be settled until October, Campbell said.</p><p>The church will negotiate a financial settlement with the regional governing body, the Presbytery of Western North Carolina, to receive clear title to the church property, which tax appraisals value at $4.2 million. The national average for such settlements with congregations the size of First Presbyterian has been less than $100,000 paid over five years, according to a news release from the church.</p><p>The change in denominational affiliation will also require a name change once negotiations are complete. Campbell said the church has considered some names but has not settled on one.</p><p>Bert Sigmon, the stated clerk of the Presbytery of Western North Carolina, said negotiations with First Presbyterian may take some time and that “very pivotal issues need to be resolved.” He declined to comment on those issues.</p><p>But Sigmon said church property is held in trust for the denomination. When a church leaves the denomination, the distribution of the property must be negotiated with the Presbytery.</p><p>Both negotiating teams are represented by legal counsel. An appraiser is selected by the Presbytery in consultation with the congregation, according to information posted on the church's website.</p><p>“After reviewing all forms of our property and our financial books, the two sides will develop a separation settlement which must first be approved by our congregation and then later be approved in a Presbytery meeting,” according to the website.</p><p>Campbell and Sigmon both said they hope the negotiations go smoothly.</p><p>The group of people who left First Presbyterian will not likely make any decisions on their future with the PC USA denomination until after negotiations with First Presbyterian are complete, Sigmon said. </p><p>“After the process has run its course, they will be in a better position to make decisions for themselves,” he said. </p><p>While he said the Presbytery is never happy about losing churches and friends to other denominations, Sigmon said he is pleased that Western North Carolina has not seen as many churches leaving PC USA as other areas have in recent years. </p><p>“We've been very fortunate in one sense,” he said. “We've not had a lot of this, not as many as, for example, Charlotte.”</p>